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School of Archaeology and Anthropology · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
From ancient Greece to 20th century Australia, there has been a desire to understand our ancestors. This course explores major developments that have shaped archaeology as a discipline around the world. We will travel from the time of 'Antiquarians' in 16th century England, through discovery of ancient human bones in Africa and ruins of famous sites and vanished civilisations in America, Australia and Europe. This course will also explore tipping points in archaeological theory and assess how these have influenced current perspectives on the past. Tutorials will focus on the contribution of individuals to the practice and interpretation of archaeology.
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Preliminary Reading Trigger, B. 2006. A History of Archaeological Thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Johnson, M. Archaeological Theory: An Introduction. 2nd Edition. Chichister: Wiley-Blackwell Publishers.